World football minnows rejoice after first win

The win is a marked improvement for the team, which has languished for years at the bottom world rankings

Richard Giles: Flickr

It has taken 17 long years but finally American Samoa's football team has notched a win, sparking scenes of jubilation in the tiny Pacific nation.

The American Samoans beat arch rivals Tonga 2-1 in Apia on Wednesday in the first regional qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup.

It is a marked improvement for the team which had suffered 30 straight defeats and languished for years at the bottom world rankings.

The team also holds the unwanted record for the biggest loss in international football when they went down 31-0 to Australia 10 years ago.

Ramin Ott and Shalom Luani wrote their names into the country's sporting folklore with goals on each side of half-time.

Ott could not contain his excitement.

"I'm happy, I can't explain it right now," he said.

It's a great feeling, really great feeling. I'm so happy right now, I gotta go and call the wife.

American Samoa goalscorer Ramin Ott

"I'm elated, I'm above everything right now. It's a good feeling. It's a good feeling to finally win a FIFA World Cup qualifying game ever. I didn't know what to feel.

"It's any goal, my first goal, my second goal ever in FIFA competition. It's a great feeling, really great feeling. I'm so happy right now, I gotta go and call the wife."

Scars

The team's goalkeeper Nicky Salapu is the only member of the side thrashed by Australia in 2001 still playing and he has endured years of psychological torment.

American Samoa's coach Thomas Rongen says the win has lifted a lot of weight off his goalkeeper's shoulders.

"This man changed in 90 minutes from a guy with some serious problems, mental problems, because he is carrying this 31-0 with him," he said.

"People would see him on the streets in Seattle where he lives and he brings up where he is from [and they would say] 'you're the goalkeeper that gave up 31 goals'.

"This gentleman had some real serious scars, and I'm so happy for him that we were able to finally win a game, and the first thing after the game he looked to me, he was crying and says 'I can now tell my children that I'm a winner' and that is bigger than the game itself."

Hard to erase

Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton told the BBC that he knows exactly what it is like.

"People who play in goals, you're part of the team but you're not and obviously you stand apart from the rest of the team when things are not going well and sometimes you take the cannon away," Mr Shilton said.

"I mean the team mustn't have played very well when he let those goals in, and I would imagine that not all of the goals were his fault but he would probably have taken all the criticism."

Shilton was in goal when Diego Maradona scored the infamous Hand of God goal in the 1986 World Cup and he says the pain of a bad loss can last a lifetime.

"I played 20 years for England and one game they do bring up it was against Poland in 1973 when we drew 1-1 and didn't qualify for the World Cup," he said.

"Their goal was a little bit dodgy from my point of view, but we should have won five and I played against Poland so many times after that and beat them in World Cup games, qualifiers but people always pick on that one game."

American Samoa next plays the Cook Islands, knowing another victory would put them in a strong position to emerge from their four-team qualification group.